Affiliation is more for internal support than external. Unions are in decline; affiliation is supportive. You do what you can to improve your situation. Go unions!

JCena-Not too long ago, officials at the McCormick in Chicago moved the plastics tade show to another city because of the high union cost.

"Apparently one trade show has had enough of the Chicago McCormick Place union. The International Plastics Showcase has decided to take their tradeshow, which brings in $250 million in economic activity to Chicago, to a non-unionized trade show hall in Florida. Now Mayor Richard Daley is in a panic asking the unions to help lower the costs to exhibit at McCormick Place.

"Trade show organizers take note. International Plastics conducted studies that show they will save up to $20 million dollars by having the exhibition at a non-union convention center. That’s a number Mayor Daley can’t afford to be passed around to other conventions that make Chicago home.

"Healthcare Information and Management Systems decided its first convention in Chicago this year would also be its last, after the cost of unionized McCormick Place electricians drove the bill from $40,000 to $240,000.”

Unions are the reason companies are moving out of this country - because union employees are too darned expensive. We could be paying lower wages but still employing AMERICANS!

Elections are coming next year and the unions need more money to give to their favorite political party.
Does unionization set higher or lower standards for its membership?
If two teachers each have the same qualifications but one is union and one is not--which one is the better qualified to teach?

Ditto!

MOC0428 said a lot of things.

Waaaaaaaaaaaah

No, really, you're right thruth1 - I hate it when the unions drive up the cost of a free public education. Or you could build a field house.

that was New York - this is from the same article: "The WEA Trust, a unit of the Wisconsin Education Association Council, has shunned the standard model in which unions pawn off on their own members insurance salesman disguised as financial planners. The plan's six certified planners offer teachers retirement planning purely for a salary to avoid dispensing conflicted advice. The total cost to teachers of investing in mutual funds through the trust runs as low as 0.36% per year, or one-tenth that of the most expensive products on the market. Its fixed-return investment option is also paying a guaranteed 4.5% over the next year, at least 1.5 percentage points better than its closest rival, says Randolph Mullis, assistant executive director of the trust."

12% were union in 2008, down one percent from the year 2000.

"Today, CWA and other unions are on the front lines of the fight to preserve Social Security as the Bush administration, Republican leaders and Wall Street push to privatize at least part of the system — putting a secure retirement at risk for all but the wealthiest Americans"

So, what you are telling us is that unions and the feds are far better making financial decisions with our money?

Teachers unions are complicit partners in this dubious pursuit. Insurers cut murky deals with labor unions to buy exclusive access to their members, sometimes paying the unions millions of dollars in fees in exchange for the unions' endorsement of their annuity plans. Invariably this foists on teachers some of the most expensive annuity products around.

"Unions play a very large role in teachers' decision making," says Michael Beczkowski, a consultant with Bolton Partners who evaluates retirement plans for school districts. "Some companies offering these plans make large union donations, so it's very difficult to get rid of them even if their products are substandard. The participants pay for it."

The National Education Association, with 2.7 million members; the American Federation of Teachers, with 1.3 million people in its ranks; and New York State United Teachers, with half a million members, all endorse high-cost annuity products. The NEA won't disclose the fees it receives from its retirement savings provider, Security Benefit, a firm in Topeka, Kans. But one source says the fee was likely $3 million. The New York union gets $3 million a year from ING, which gets the shop's exclusive endorsement as a provider of annuities for New York teachers. AFT says it gets less than $100,000.

At the center of this thriving scheme is the inelegantly named 403(b), which, like the private sector's 401(k), takes its name from an IRS regulation. Both plans allow workers to invest for retirement free from taxes until the money is withdrawn. The key difference: Private employers have a legal duty to run 401(k)s in the interests of employees and spell out the terms; 403(b)s carry no such burden...."

http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/2006/2006-Ma...

Its not so much that unions COULDN'T be a benefit, its that they don't actually DO anything positive for anyone anymore...just drive up costs.

Today, CWA and other unions are on the front lines of the fight to preserve Social Security as the Bush administration, Republican leaders and Wall Street push to privatize at least part of the system — putting a secure retirement at risk for all but the wealthiest Americans. CWA is a leader in labor's campaign to educate union members and all Americans about the threat to Social Security and is mobilizing them to take action.

In the battle for universal health care, unions are also fighting to strengthen and expand Medicare. Labor is also championing ways to fix the badly mangled Medicare prescription drug law, specifically calling for the government to negotiate with drug companies for better prices as the Veteran's Administra-tion has done successfully for years.

As for the hard-won laws protecting workers' rights, they are under assault as never before, with employers and business groups led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce taking full advantage of the Bush administration's hostility toward workers. In addition to the push to privatize Social Security, big business wants to roll back the Fair Labor Standards Act, Family and Medical Leave (see sidebars) and overtime rights, among other attacks.

CWA helped lead one of the largest mobilizations in recent labor history to fight the White House scheme to kill overtime rights for millions of workers, a battle labor waged even though most union members wouldn't have been affected. The Labor Department made some changes to the overtime language in the Fair Labor Standards Act, but union resolve stopped some of the most damaging of the proposed changes.

© 2005 Communications Workers of America

Digriz-Whats a yute?

sluggo,

Union membership has been in decline for decades. 8% of US workers are now union - and that continues to fall. Not because of union busting or corporate "greed", but because they are not needed or wanted as they once were. Their attitude of protecting the worst of their members at the expense of the best and "one size fits all" pay scale, and seniority and tenure for longtime members flies in the face of the new global economy.

Sluggo - That's all well and good, but what are unions doing in 2009? Not much, except lining their pockets and trying to justify their existence.

Workers literally died fighting for the work hours Americans enjoy today. In one of a wave of strikes for the eight-hour day across the country in May 1886, seven demonstrators were killed in Milwaukee when the state militia opened fire. Protesters and police alike were killed in the infamous Haymarket Riot in Chicago.

It would be another 50 years of unrest before the eight-hour day became law. Marches and strikes included a citywide walkout in Seattle, textile workers and telephone operators in New England, police in Boston, steelworkers in the Midwest and tens of thousands of other workers who risked their jobs and even their lives.

© 2005 Communications Workers of America

All of us are indebted to the union struggles of the past for many of the workplace benefits we take for granted. Yahweh gave us the Sabbath but unions brought us the weekend, the 8-hour day, paid vacations, holidays, health insurance, and pensions.
Edith Rasell, Ph.D.

The hypocrisy in this city regarding union labor is laughable.

The teachers joined the Arena Football League?

Oops, I missed the real b) which should be “you gotta be kidding”. Corrected version:

I believe the answers are: a) absolutely not, b) you gotta be kidding, c) big time, d) it doesn’t.

TCB:

I believe the answers are: a) absolutely not, b) big time, c) it doesn’t.

On the plus side, DiGriz’ new friend Vinny is going to hold a meeting for all concerned parents behind the Case Feed building Friday at midnight. You might want to notify your next of kin prior to attending.

DiGriz - Brilliant!

Questions:

Will graduation rates rise with this new arrangement?

If a teacher does not support the political ideology of the AFL-CIO can that teacher demand that his/her dues taken to support AFLCIO positions be refunded?

Are JSD teachers forced to join the teachers union?

How does this improve the delivery of education in Janesville schools?

RED FLAG: "joining forces","increasing the political power","affiliation will not influence","join the council in endorsing candidates","JEA members will see an increase in their dues payments of 53 cents a month this year that will go to the AFL-CIO, Parr said. That contribution will rise to $1.06 a month next year and $1.59 the third year, Parr said."The list goes on. Gee did I miss something regarding the quality of instruction for the students? Humm seems more of a power play on both parties and oh yes the teachers get to line the pockets of the AFL-CIO union managers now. What a joke. Maybe Mr.Parr should contact ACORN next.

Actually redder we need parents who give a crap and to quit pushing everything their child does or doesn't learn onto the teachers. Again, you are clueless and shouldn't even be allowed to have an opinion on matters you know nothing about.

Right. Their really awesome salaries! You're kidding right? I make 10K more a year with an associates degree and I don't bring my work home with me. I also don't have to continually upgrade my education. My wife teaches in Janesville and I can tell you that the so called wages and benefits you refer to don't exist. If I wanted more schooling my work will may for 80% of it while the JEA pays for 0%. All of you who don't teach try to talk a good game but when it comes time to play you're sitting on the bench. You have no idea what you're talking about. They have to try and get through to kids and parents who don't care and don't support what they do. What does the union do for them??? I can tell you what it does for my wife, nothing. We get to lose a chunk of money each paycheck that she gets nothing back from.

Once again, great move (yeah right) so the kids of course will suffer while teachers get all their days off and cost of living etc. I mean really, how about we worry about the students and the teacher well they are big people they can take care of themselves. The little ones who cannt do math that is the real problem, I suppose we will need specialists now, and they will need assistants because the teachers are so overwhelmed, then they will need more administration because all the tests that are now impossed on the kids that they struggle with to begin with because we don't even teach core subjects but theory.

I hope everyone had a chance to read John Nevin's editorial the other day. As a former Principal in the district, he hit the nail on the head regarding this school board. They like to talk the talk (Studer this, Studer that), but they never walk the walk.

It's too bad Principals like John can't speak their mind while they are employed by the BOARD, I mean district.

MOC0428: Not all teachers may like unions, but they sure don't mind receiving the benefits and salary those unions fight to get for them.

This is great news. I am overwhelmed by the warm fuzzies I get reading this and all the great things Dave Parr said here about how having them join the AFL-CIO is going to help better serve students, raise their achievement, and help them graduate with the skills and knowledge they need to be able to function in college or in employment. Oh. Wait. He didn't say any of that. Well, at least they can help plan labor fest. Yawn.

That was for DiGriz.

HA ha ha!!

bobb1951,
What does this have to do with the students? You are always complaining about teachers! Why?

SarahB1,
There is already a huge divide between the two. See the post from "bobb1951". It's complainers like that who create the divide.

Keep in mind that not all teachers are for unions! Some feel like it is a waste of their money. Don't bash them all!

Teacher's unions know one day that they will have to relinquish their antiquated stance of getting pay raises based on seniority. Most other non-union workers get paid according to their performance. Why are these teachers's unions exempt from that?

There new leader at the AFL CIO is known for his aggressive tactics and near riot inciting while leading the mining union. There is no hidden agenda here.

Maybe I am wrong, but I see this move only creating a deeper divide between Janesville teachers and the community's general public.